Walking Dead Season 3: The Last Survivor
by xxEmber24xx
Summary: This story follows the events of the Walking Dead Game after Season Two has ended. It's been four years. At first, it seemed like the dead were the ones to fear. But now, the living may be the real enemy. The wilderness is no longer a safe place to raise a child. Clementine and Alvin Junior must move on. But, with the world the way it is now, will they ever be safe?
1. Ch1: What Lies Ahead

_ Note: If anyone was confused as to when this is, it is four years after the events that occurred in 'No Going Back'. Thus, Clementine would be 15, and AJ would be 4. Thank you for reading, and we hope you enjoy the first chapter of The Last Survivor._

Thunderheads boiled angrily above, threatening to give way and let loose the storm that was so ominously foreboded. And, far away, lightning crackled, alighting the sky with a pale white light. Below, in the vast woods, two bodies were on the run.

These people had lived through the zombie apocalypse because they were not like others. They were not like normal people. They were smarter, stronger. They were survivors.

Noticeably enough, the pair was quite young. The girl was Clementine and, visibly, she was at most fifteen years of age. Her skin was noticeably lighter than the boy's, but not by much. Her dark brown hair was held back in pigtails and pinned down by a battered pale violet and white baseball cap. In her left hand she held a hatchet—a small one. It had black and yellow hilt with a sharp, silver blade. Out of her back pocket jutted the handle of what looked to be a pistol. At her side was a much smaller boy, one who could hardly even be five years old. Alvin Junior, though he had been affectionately called "AJ" most of his short life. He had much darker skin than the girl and eyes that were a very dark brown. For clothing, he wore a simple olive green vest and rather patchy jeans. He kept in stride with Clementine though it was very apparent that he was growing weary.

"**Clem…**" Alvin tried, his voice meek and broken between his panting. He slowed considerably and, after a moment, Clementine did too until the both of them had stopped completely.

"**AJ, we can't stop here.**" She told him, though her voice was noticeably worn as well. She cast a quick and fearful look over one shoulder, as if to make sure they were not being followed. "Not until we're out of the woods."

"**I'm so tired.**" AJ whimpered, reaching up to wipe at a smear of dirt on his cheek. It had now noticeably begun to rain. Little, at first, then slightly more palpable. "**We've been going for so long. Can't we just stop for a moment? Just for a little rest?**"

Clementine looked slightly torn. Her olive-green gaze drifted to the woods that surrounded them and, after some uncertain silence, she relented. Her shoulders relaxed slightly from their tightened stage and she looked to Alvin. "**Just a moment, alright?**"

A relieved expression crossed the young boy's face and, with a heaving sigh, he plopped down on the wet ground with an '_oomph_!' A great sigh came from him, causing his small shoulders to rise and fall heavily. His gaze drifted up to Clementine gratefully but, at this point, she was not looking at him. Instead, Clementine kept her careful watch on the woods, in case anything were to sneak up on them. The woods, of course, being a dangerous place at this time. Anything could be out here, alive or dead.  
The rain kept on falling.

Clementine knelt down, allowing herself a heavy sigh. No matter how strong either of them pretended to be at times they were only human. In the past few days it had been particularly hard. With the population of survivors slowly dwindling and the walkers slowly increasing it had become harder and harder to find anywhere safe. The walkers were everywhere. Four years, as best Clementine could assume, had passed since the events with Jane and Kenny's death. And, since then, things had only been far lonelier.

But it had not all been terribly bad. Clementine was not completely alone. AJ was a sweet kid, who tried to keep light in situations like this. He was young, of course, so he did not quite know the true severity of everything. But he was intelligent. He knew well enough when his life was in danger. Like Alvin, Clementine supposed.

Clementine's gaze lifted from the ground for a moment and drifted out to the woods beyond. Nothing yet. There was just a cold and frigid wind that would occasionally rustle the branches and boughs on the trees, causing her to flinch in fear.

"**Clementine?**"  
Clementine looked over at AJ, who was still sitting down on the cold earth. He had his arms crossed over his chest in an attempt for warmth. His gaze was locked on Clementine.

"**Yeah?**"

Alvin's lips pursed slightly. "**Why can't we stay in one place for a little longer?**"

Clementine gave something of a slight reluctant smile, standing up on her own and extending a hand downwards to Alvin to help him up as well. As he took it, and she aided him to his feet, she responded: "**You know why, AJ. We gotta keep moving. It's just not safe.**"

"**Yeah…I know.**" Alvin admitted in a small voice. He dusted off his vest with the palm of his hand, though his face still retained a brooding look. "**It's just…it would be nice, wouldn't it?**"

Clementine could only give a meager shrug. He was right, unfortunately. It would always be a pleasant idea to stay in one place…for a while. But Clementine hadn't really had a 'home' since, well, since the Motor Inn six years ago with Lee and the others. And that had not even lasted more than a few months…

All was silent as she was momentarily lost in her small reverie about her old friends that had passed on through the past few years. They were all, well, _gone_. But she could not waste time dwelling about in the past. Alvin needed her here right now.

The woods were silent as she looked back up, her olive gaze flitting around cautiously. She knew it was never good to stay in one place…The woods were quite dark. It would be hard to notice anything, really. Yet a sudden blur of movement caught Clementine's attention, and she squinted to see it better. It was clear—there was a walker in the woods. It was many leagues away, yet did not seem to take notice of them. It dragged itself about aimlessly, its pale milky eyes staring sightlessly before it. Then, when Clementine held her breath and lifted the hatchet she still gripped slightly, the walker turned and fixated its gaze on the pair of them. Almost lazily, it began to drag its way over to them, with something like a hungry groan.

"**AJ!-**" Her startled cry was cut short as a blur of light from behind the walker caught her attention and, before it could react, a swift movement bludgeoned it over the head and the walker crumpled.  
Olive eyes wide, Clementine lurched forward in a heartbeat, snatching up AJ's hand and giving him a small tug.

"**What was that?**" AJ asked with wide brown eyes, as he stumbled along after Clementine. She had gotten the both of them to their feet now, and began to make her way through the woods again. Their feet sent up splashes of mud, spattering their already filthy attire.

"**I…I don't know.**" Clementine admitted, and the pair drew further into the quickly darkening woods. It could not have been another walker, for that she already knew. The dead did not kill their own, which could only mean they were not alone. Clementine knew that other survivors were just as, if not more, dangerous than the dead. She was not going to stick around and find out just who else was lurking in these woods.

They had gone on for, perhaps, a quarter of an hour before their pace had noticeably slowed. AJ was tired and, panting heavily; he looked up with wide, pleading brown eyes. Clementine slowed down a few paces, but didn't her tight grip loosen or falter from his. Her fingers curled around the handle of the hatchet she held.

Clementine suddenly visibly stiffened to the audible noise of leaves being trampled over, not the sound of a normal humans light-footedness. It sounded like dragging. Walkers. But that was impossible—hadn't they long outrun them?

"**AJ, stay close.**" Clementine directed in a firm voice, sticking out a hand to halt the boy from taking another step. And, frightened, he did not argue. Instead, he soundlessly slipped behind Clementine and peered out fearfully at the woods that still surrounded them.

But there was nothing there.

Everything was silent.

Everything was calm.

Clementine's breathing slowed slightly and, with a quick intake of breath, she looked over her shoulder to tread back the way they had come.

Without warning, an ashen face loomed up in her vision, just in front of her. It was a walker, with bulging bluish eyes, rotting gray skin and falling-apart hair. It was inches from Clementine, teeth bared, dripping with saliva, blood and—

Clementine let out a wild cry and brought her hatchet up with a sudden burst of energy. It connected to the bottom of the walker's jaw with a satisfying _thop_! and sent it stumbling away. Clementine could feel its blood, wet and warm, spatter the front of her gray sweater. But she did not hesitate to wipe it off or recover from the suddenness of it and, instead, whirled around to face the boy who had been cowering a few feet away.

"**Don't just stand there!**" Clementine barked, glaring at him. "**Run!**"

Alvin's eyes widened with an unimaginable terror and, in the spur of the moment, he spun on a heel and bolted down opposite to the way they had come.

Clementine risked a quick glance towards the walker she'd downed and, after a few heartbeats; she whipped around and fled after him. Her footsteps sent up splashes of mud and rain water, spattering her clothing and making it almost impossible to see ahead. She saw a figure vaguely ahead and could only assume it was Alvin, fleeing as though hell were on his heels. And, in a stupid way, it was.

"_Grah!_" Something lurched out from the woods and suddenly, before Clementine could react, it slammed into her full-force and the both of them fell to the ground. Clementine could scent the utter reek of it before she actually caught view of what it was and immediately knew that a walker had grabbed her. The force was enough to make her head fall back and strike the frozen earth floor, hard. Hard enough that it made her quite dizzy and her vision blurred, as she struggled to free herself from the walker.

"**_Clementine_**!" She heard, off in the distance.

Clementine threw up her hands in a last defense, gripping the walker's jaw with one hand and the other on its shoulder. She propped her knees between them so that the walker's jaws were away from her face, and so that she did not have to stare into its dead eyes. Her hatchet had apparently slid some feet away in the fall and, as she wildly looked around, Clementine could see it lying just out of reach. If only she could just…grab it.

"**Help me!**"

"**Alvin!**" Clementine gasped. The walker's jaws clacked shut, an inch away from her face. Clementine stifled a yelp and, in a last effort, she jerked forward and grabbed the hilt of the hatchet. She kicked out wildly, striking the walker in the chest and knocking it away from her for the moment being. This gave Clementine just enough time to scramble up and, before the walker could recover, lunge forward and slam the hatchet forth into its skull. A spatter of blood went up and the walker's jaw went slack, showing clear sign that life had left its decaying body.

Clementine grabbed the hilt and gave a firm tug, ripping it clean from the walker's skull. Now, without anything to hold it back, the corpse fell forward lifelessly and hit the ground, sending up a splash of rain water. But Clementine had no time to clean the blood from herself, nor from her hatchet. She immediately whipped around and peered up the forest trail, to where Alvin had gone. Dots clouded the corners of her vision but, through the haze, she could see clearly. Alvin was standing midway up the path, glancing at her in horror. And, just behind him, a man. Not a walker—he moved far too quickly and with purpose to be a walker. And as Clementine watched helplessly on, the man seized a stricken Alvin and lifted him partially off the ground. Clementine saw Alvin's mouth open, saw his hands lash out at the man, and then he was pulled into the woods.

He was gone.

"_Alvin?_"

The rain pattered against the cover of trees, and the night hummed on.

"**Where are you?**" Clementine lifted a hand to cover her mouth in horror. No—no. He could not just be _gone_. Not like that. Who had that been? What would they want with a little boy? Clementine was horrified and she lurched forward, in an attempt to sprint after them.

But she did not get far. There was a grumbling noise behind her and she could not react fast enough as a walker's hand clutched her shoulder, almost ripping her off of her feet. In a hollow voice Clementine cried out, reaching back to grab at the walker's hand in an attempt to rip herself free. But to no avail—as the walker's grip seemed to be as strong as steel. That, or Clementine was just very, very weak at this point. She could do nothing as the walker pulled at her, dragging a struggling Clementine through the cover of trees. In the struggle Clementine's grip had loosened upon her hatchet and it fell from her grip, splashing upon the rain-saturated earth. Clementine stared helplessly after it—her only memoir of Luke. Gone. Just like he was.

"**Alv—**" The walker gave another last jerk and they broke through the cover of trees. Clementine twisted sharply, in an attempt to free herself. She was not going to get bitten—not when Alvin was still out there.

But apparently that did not matter.

The ground fell away from her feet before she could react and she was falling. Her body struck something, hard, and she rolled several feet down a seeming hill before coming to a stop. An immense pain struck her square in the chest, as though she'd been struck with a very hard object. And she knew what that felt like—she'd been hit with the butt of a gun square in the stomach before.

Clementine's vision blurred, worse than before. She weakly lifted her head to see the walker she'd been struggling with, impaled upon a jagged rock a few feet away. And, further up, there was a hill. It was clear to Clementine now that they had struggled so hard that they had fallen off the hill and down here. Up above, she could vaguely see the shapes of walkers still milling about. And, past them, lights. They shone boldly through the gaps in the trees, shining upon the rocks below. They hesitated on Clementine for a moment then, once several seconds passed, moved away.

"**Who are you…**?" Clementine croaked. She felt something wet dabble down her chin and, without thinking, reached up and touched her jaw. When she pulled her hand back she could see her fingers smudged slightly in a dark substance. Blood?

_AJ…_Clementine thought weakly. Then the lights faded out and Clementine's head fell back. She stared up at the cloud-covered sky for a moment and then her eyes closed on their own. Her head swam once, then everything went black.

_I'll find you._


	2. Ch2: New Friends, New Problems

_21/10/2014 Note: Sorry for the quality of this chapter. It was written in under an hour without the help of a co-author, so I'll update it later. Thank you for reading!_

_"__**Stop! It's over!**__" Clementine shrieked.  
The pair of them, grappling on the ground, did not hear her. That, or they refused to listen. Jane held her own, pinning Kenny down and stabbing her finger forth. The grunts and cries from Kenny made Clementine cringe, and she tried again, more frustrated and in a desperate and high-pitched cry: "__**Listen to me!**__"  
Jane pushed down forward, receiving an anguished cry from Kenny: "__**Get 'er off!**__" He yelled.  
Seeing the point where Jane's elbow bent, Clementine jumped at the chance to lunge forward and grab her by the arm, giving a sharp and insistent tug. Jane fell back, gasping and trying to catch her breath. She clutched at her elbow for the moment, and Clementine made the mistake of thinking it was over. Kenny flipped over and, with the knife he still gripped, he jabbed in a quick motion, sinking the blade into Jane's thigh.  
"__**Aiigh!**__"  
The force was enough to strike down the already injured Clementine, and she hit the ground a little ways from the pair. She could hear their struggles, their insults, their swears. "__**Damn babykiller!**__" Her vision blurred, and the only thing she could see in front of her...was her gun. Clementine could already feel the cold wetness against her shoulder where Arvo's bullet had struck. And there was only one thing she could do.  
"__**dammit!**__" Clementine heard Jane yell. Clementine desperately made an attempt to get up, but an overwhelming sense of weakness swamped her. She fell back to the ground, clenching her teeth and gripping her shoulder. But, through the haze, she saw Kenny get the advantage. The bigger man seized the knife and lunged on top of Jane, prepared to stab down. Jane barely managed to bracer herself underneath, fending off his arms with upraised hands. Kenny's hateful words came through bared teeth: "__**I'll kill you!**__"  
"__**I...knew you would...**__"  
Clementine summoned the remainder of her strength and weakly grabbed out for the gun. Hesitantly, she seized in both hands and lifted up the point of it so that it was facing the pair. Facing Kenny.  
"__**Please. Please...**__" Clementine begged. Tears had sprung to her eyes, streaming down her frozen cheeks. There showed no signs of halting.  
"__**Clem...help...**__"  
She couldn't do it.  
She couldn't pull the trigger.  
She turned her head and closed her eyes, waiting for the end.  
And it came, with a sharp cry of pain, and the sound of the blade sinking into flesh. Clementine's shoulders flinched slightly and she trembled, the tears icy cold on her face. After several moments Clementine shakily lifted her head and slowly opened her eyes. Wet tears were already streaming down her cold cheeks, running down to her jaw. They would freeze to her face in a matter of minutes, but that did not matter to Clementine.  
Kenny had fallen back, covering his face with his blood-soaked hands. Jane lay a little ways from him, but she did not move. Her hands were thrown out at her sides, and her face tilted up to the sky. Her eyes were thrown wide, and curious. 'Like she was watching a bird.' Clementine could see the hilt of the knife embedded in her chest, and she hardly resisted a cry of distress. How could this happen?  
Weakly, Clementine looked at the distraught Kenny, unable to do anything. She still had her gun out, the tip pointed towards the snowy ground.  
Jane was dead...because she'd been too afraid to shoot. This wasn't supposed to happen!_

_Clementine pulled herself up to her feet, glancing at Jane's motionless shape. Her lip quivered slight, and her gaze averted itself over to where Kenny lay. "__**Kenny!**__" She whimpered, drawing closer with the gun at her side.  
Kenny did not move for several moments. But, when he did, he removed his hand from his remaining good eye and came up into a sitting position. He braced his other bloodied hand against the ground and looked up, up into Clementine's face as she had now gotten to her feet._

"_**AJ…he's gone, Clem.**__" The man croaked, in a tone as though he could not believe what had just happened. "__**She…she just…how could she do that? Oh, Jesus…He's gone…He's…**__"_

_Without warning, Clementine's expression suddenly faded to an angry grimace. Her eyes filled with despair, the gun was lifted and pointed at Kenny's head. She said no words. Tears were frozen to her face, and her mouth set in an upset and angry grimace. She did not lower the gun, and her intent was clear. Anyone could see it in her eyes.  
Kenny knew it. He betrayed no shock, no emotion. A heartbeat passed, and he said in a broken voice: "__**Do it. Just...just do it.**__"  
Clementine, though startled by his reaction, said nothing. Her hand did not tremble. She placed a finger on the trigger coldly and, without hesitation, she slowly squeezed it.  
The silence after the noise of the gun being fired was almost peaceful._

It was a start, to awake again. There was the quick feeling of falling and then, heart pounding, Clementine's eyes snapped open.

She was awake—but most startlingly, she was not where she had been before. The first thing she was aware of was that she was not alone. There were voices, and they were certainly not ones she recognized. They were two men's voices, and they were arguing about something.

"_Jesus, I knew you were going to be a fuckin' problem._"

"_Me! You're the one being difficult here._"

"_She's bit, Sherlock! I don't know how the hell you've made it this long, but…"_

Clementine squinted a bit, blinking through the blurry haze that so clouded her sight. She was aware of an extremely heavy pain at the back of her head, though she tried to block it out. Her surroundings came to her, bit by bit at first, then all at once.

She was in a grassy clearing that smelled strongly of fresh pine and dirt, as though it had been recently raining. It was clearly quite early in the morning, though what time Clementine could not figure out. The sun was a round and crisp orb that hung slightly over the tops of the pine trees that surrounded them in a circle.

In the center of the clearing there was the remains of what might have once been a campfire. It had clearly been out for a while, as no sign of heat remained. A single wood log lay in the center, untouched by the flames that had once been.

Clementine herself was leaned up against a pine tree just on the outskirt of the clearing. To her right, there was a woman. And, just before them, the two men that had been arguing. Unlike the woman, they seemed not to notice that Clementine had awoken.

"**You're awake,**" She was knelt at Clementine's side, a respectable distance away. When Clementine looked at her she got an immediate start. The woman looked almost _exactly _like Bonnie. In fact, so alike to her in appearance, that Clementine had immediately thought she was her. Her hair, like Bonnie's, was a fair red. Her eyes were darkened by the lighting, but it was apparent that they were a crisp blue. Yet, as Clementine stared, it became apparent that this woman was _not_ Bonnie. She was far too thin and too short, with paler skin that was splashed with freckles across her cheek. She stared at Clementine with an inquisitive look.

"**Ehr—yeah,**" Clementine responded rather groggily, straightening herself slightly against the pine she was leaned upon. Her back protested angrily with a sharp stab of pain that jolted the girl slightly. "**My head…where's Alvin?**"

The woman looked confused and, with a look towards her still-quarreling companions, she stared back at Clementine with apparent sympathy in her round blue eyes. "**Sorry, hun. You were alone when we found you…knocked up pretty good. Looks like you took a little tumble down the hill. But don't worry—we found you alright, and it seems as though you're gonna be okay. Might sting for a bit, but nothing that won't heal.**"

"**Alone?**" Clementine repeated in a hollow voice. No…then that meant that whatever had taken Alvin…had been real? She lowered her head slightly, avoiding the woman's eye contact.

The woman's lips pursed in sympathy. "**Uh, look…maybe it's a good thing. Whoever you were with…well, they could be alive, couldn't they? And you—oh, jeez. Silly me, I guess I forgot to ask. What's yer name?**"

"**Uhm…Clementine.**" At least there was no point in hiding it. It was a name—what harm could that do?

The woman's expression turned to a pleasant smile, though she did not offer a hand to shake. She straightened herself up into a standing position. "**Clementine. Nice to meet you, Clementine. I'm Riley, and this here—**" She gestured back to the two men who had since stopped arguing and now were looking at the both of them with somewhat skeptical faces. "**Is Blair and Peg.**"

One of the men, the one with rather scruffy mouse-brown hair and blue eyes, raised a hand in greeting. "**Aye. Clementine. Uh, like the fruit, right?**"

"**Your name is **_**Peg**_**.**" Clementine said, almost disdainfully. She had not meant for it to come out rude, but Peg's expression soured slightly.

It took Clementine a few heartbeats to realize it was only in good fun, however, and Peg gave a wounded: "**Touché.**"

"**Porter, actually.**" Riley commented, with a quick glare at Peg. "**We call him Peg. It was, uh, something when we found him—**"

"**Are we seriously doing this?**" Suddenly, Blair, the taller man with darker scruffy black hair and a fairly substantial stubble, piped up. His dark brown gaze set upon Clementine with an accusing glare, and he jabbed a finger towards her. "**Even if she's not bit, she's a kid. We can't look after anyone else now, especially since we've got **_**this **_**asswipe to deal with still.**" And Blair cast a look towards Peg.

Peg snapped his attention over to the other man. "**Really? I though we—**"

"**Shut it! Both of you!**"

Everyone looked at Riley in a somewhat startled amazement.

"**The kid's in bad shape, guys.**" Riley went on, in a more calm tone. She looked over sympathetically at Clementine, who had sagged back a little against the pine tree. "**We can't leave her out here on her own. No doubt it'll be a death sentence, especially with the head wound she's got.**"

"**We're not a charity organization, Riley. We've got ourselves to look out for.**" Blair responded, slightly irritably. He crossed his arms and slid his dark gaze over to Clementine. She stared back and, just when she'd been about to avert her gaze, he lifted his nose slightly with a huff.

"**I'm with Riley,**" Peg decided, not looking at Blair. "**I would've been dead if you two hadn't come along when you did, and I'm grateful for that. I know that we'd be just as bad as the walkers if we left a little kid out here alone.**"

At this point, Clementine had started to feel awfully uncomfortable. She tried to speak: "**I'm not—**"

"**Then it's decided,**" Riley said firmly. Clementine caught Blair sending her a glare but, if he'd thought to say anything, he kept his mouth shut.

Clementine looked over at Riley, paling slightly. "**What's decided? I-I have to look for my friend. He's still out there! He could be hurt, or worse and I can't—**"

"'**Fraid you can't do anything right now,**" Riley sounded genuinely sympathetic, and she crossed her arms across her chest. "**You've got a nasty bump; you wouldn't make it two steps. We'll help you 'till you can make it on your own.**"

_No! _Clementine reached up and touched her hands to her ears, as though she could not believe what she was hearing. She could not abandon Alvin. He'd been taken by some madman, for all she knew. He could be hurt, and needing saving. Clementine had promised to protect him, so what now? "**But he needs my help!**"

"**If we can help him, we will.**" Riley assured her. "**But for now, you just need to rest, okay? We'll get this all sorted when you're feeling a bit better.**"

Clementine was torn; she could not just trust strangers, could she? She knew how bad putting her trust into someone else usually turned out, and it was the reason she'd stayed on her own with Alvin Junior for the four years she'd been apart from her late group. She had always considered the option of trying to chase down Mike and Bonnie, but their last meeting had not been a good one. Even now, Clementine retained the scar from the bullet wound she'd received when Arvo had shot her out of panic. It was a fresh reminder that strangers, no matter how innocent they seemed, could always prove a danger. But she did not seem to have much choice. Even the slightest movement irked her. Clementine touched a hand to the back of her head, feeling the bump where she'd hit.

When she looked back up, Blair had suddenly whirled around and turned back towards the woods. His steps were heavy and, quite obviously, frustrated. Before Riley or Peg could say anything at all he'd pushed aside a low-hanging bough and stepped into the woods in a huff, not a word spoken.

Clementine winced, lifting an arm to touch her shoulder. "**I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"**

"**It's not your fault, Clementine.**" Riley chided quickly. Yet, her brow knitted in concern, and she glanced over at Peg. "**Peg, could you…**?"

The man nodded without need for further explanation. He glanced to the woods and quickly said: "**I'll get him.**" And he proceeded to speed after the other man, loose grass and dirt being sent up in his wake.

Once he had gone the woman, Riley, knelt down once again. She settled a little ways from Clementine, resting her arms in her lap. With a look at her and a glance at the woods, Clementine questioned: "**What's with him?**"

Riley gave something of a brooding expression and she too looked over her shoulder. Peg and Blair had vanished from view. "**Oh…don't mind him. He's just in one of his moods is all. Don't you worry, he doesn't mean you any harm. He's all talk. He wouldn't really leave you out here.**"

"**Oh?**"

"**He's a real sweetheart, really.**" Riley finished, casting a wistful look at the grassy earth. Then, her blue gaze slowly lifted back to Clementine with an inquiring look. "**So, where have you been? I can't imagine a kid like you has been through this all alone.**"

"**No, I haven't.**" Clementine responded curtly. She didn't really want to be rude, but it wasn't exactly a time to bring up old memories. "**Till about four years ago, anyway. Then I was with my friend…he's a lot younger than me, and I don't think he can make it on his own.**"

"**Well, if we can, we'll find him.**"

_No matter what, I'll find him. _"**Thanks, Riley.**"

The woman's expression lightened slightly, and she gave a pleasant smile. "**Well. Why don't you get some rest? I'm sure the boys should be back soon and, soon as you're all good and rested, we can put some distance between us and these woods. Then you can tell us all about yourself and your friend, aye?**"

Clementine could only nod and, as Riley stood up, she leaned back again against the tree. It really was not the most comfortable position but, nonetheless, it was better than nothing. Her head was pounding so bad she figured she'd never be able to get to sleep, but she supposed she had to try. It was better to sleep, anyway, and take her mind off of Alvin's whereabouts. She still clung fiercely onto the hope that he was alive, and had been taken somewhere. She'd seen the lights, seen the man who had taken him. He was _alive, _and Clementine knew it. But as to why someone would take a child in the woods, Clementine had no idea…

It happened suddenly; her head fell back against the hard wood, her eyes closed, and a great dizzying feeling fell over her. Clementine struggled for a moment but then relented, and the wave of sleep crashed over.


	3. Ch3: Great Men Are Not Always Wise

_04/11/2014 Note: Hello Reader! Sorry for the wait on this one. The quality should be a bit better with the help of a co-author. Next chapter(s) should come fairly soon due to a long weekend, but don't expect anything until Friday. School has been a real pain in the butt so this chapter is shorter than normal. The second half will just be another chapter._

It was mid-afternoon with the sun a crisp orb high in the sky, surrounded by bright blue sky and wisps of fluffy white cloud. It was quite a good day, in fact. The dead that had seemingly infested the woods not but a day earlier seemed to be gone. A small group was best, after all, as they went silently and swiftly through the woods. Riley and Peg were the closets ones towards Clementine, while Blair strayed off to the right with a soft and placid expression as he stared at the ground quietly.

"_You're right. Right…like you usually are. Okay. We'll try our best."_

It had been a night since Clementine had encountered the group and, after the events of the previous day, the group had agreed to move on with Clementine in hopes of finding Alvin. To Clementine, it was clear that both Riley and Blair found it utterly hopeless, yet Riley had pushed Blair into giving his acquiescence. Peg, on the other hand, had been overly happy to help. It was strange…He seemed like such an oddly cheerful person, despite the situation. It reminded her of her previous caretaker, Omid.

But that memory was bitter.

From what she could gather, the group had been together for some time. Blair and Riley had known each other even before the apocalypse and had stuck together since then. Peg had joined them only recently and, from what Blair had told her, an 'accident' to do with running through someone's lawn trying to escape walkers and being snagged upon a rope in which the previous owners had used to dry their clothes on. As a result, they had found him ensnared in the rope, with clothing 'pegs' stuck to his shirt and pants. Thus, he'd received his nickname. Clementine would have thought it to be embarrassing nickname and, in her opinion, she never would have enjoyed anyone giving her a name for an accident that had almost cost her life.

The whole group was hushed. Clementine could not help but feel the odd and heavy tension in the air. Blair had his handgun-and Peg had a large kitchen knife, so there wasn't too much worry, even though everyone was away with the fairies-or in their own little 'dreamland'. All Clementine could focus on was Alvin Junior. Despite Clem not being one to have anxiety, this made her feel terrible. It was a clinging thought that she seemed unable to shake, try as she might. She could only rely on the hope that his captors would make an appearance, and soon.

"**So...Clem**." The woman on her left, 'Riley', spoke. The note of cheerfulness in her tone was obvious. "**How did you make it this far?-I mean, since you're fifteen, and the Apocalypse...It's amazing that you are still alive after all of this**."

Listening with a grimace across her face, Clementine's eyes drifted down to the soft grass as they trekked forth. Maybe it was such a hard hit because she had been asked this question before or because it was because she did not want to answer it at the moment. Yet, she figured she owed it to them as a stranger who had suddenly appeared in their midst.

She relented. "**I…well, what do you expect?**" She responded bluntly. "**I was eight when everything…started. My parents, uhm…well, I tried to stay with good people. I had friends, I guess. Then things started happening and…**" Her expression changed to slightly brooding. "**I've been with Alvin Junior for four years. He's all I have left…I need to find him.**" She kept it obviously short, enough to stop the personal questions from Riley who nodded quickly, and resumed her gaze fixed on the ground. The hint was clearly taken, yet, for some unknown reason, the woman kept on.  
"**But-how did you make it so far, when you were so young**?" Riley questioned softly, glancing up to watch Clementine with her blue eyes. When Clementine did not respond this time, Riley resumed her earlier quiet state.

"**Maybe we should go to the city. You know...after all this time, it might not be as infested with walkers. I think it'd be easy enou**-" He was interrupted by a sudden and vicious look from Blair, who had suddenly glanced back as soon as the mention of the city had come up. His dark brown eyes narrowed, putting an abrupt end to the suggestion. Peg then fell silent and, as he did, Blair balled his fists angrily and stormed on ahead from the group. His retreating footsteps were apparent from the crackling of dead leaves.

"**What's his problem**?" Clementine suddenly asked, raising an eyebrow towards Riley and Peg. The two adults exchanged glances, with Peg looking slightly guilty as they did so. Suddenly, Riley sighed and reached out to touch Clem's shoulder, much to her surprise and discomfort. She did not pull away. "**He's had a worse time then us in this whole situation.**" Riley defended him softly.

Clementine's lips pursed with an initial response, though she clearly thought better of it. "**Well what happened to him, then?**" She noticed that Riley had looked at Peg in that moment, almost worriedly, but Peg turned away.

"**I'll go after him.**" The man decided. Without waiting on a response from either of them he had turned and pelted off into the woods after the other man. Once he had vanished, he left both Riley and Clementine alone in silence once again.

Something bad had happened to these people; that was already very apparent to Clementine. It seemed to be a sore spot for Blair most of all who, apparently on a whim, turned oddly irritable and even snappy to the others. Clementine was glad she had encountered him with Riley and Peg around. She reminded him of Kenny, in a way. He was…well, unpredictable. Sweet, maybe, towards Riley, but that was it. Of course it was never good to fully trust anyone during a time like this, but he was so distrustful that she could not believe he had agreed to let her tag along. It was so startlingly déjà vu that Clementine hoped she would be able to go off on her own again once she'd found Alvin. Groups were just too difficult.

"**He's not always like this,**" Riley suddenly said. She had turned to look at Clementine as they slowed slightly, in an unspoken decision to wait for the others.

"**It's alright, I get it.**" Clementine responded. She looked at the taller woman and offered a small shrug. "**We've all had bad experiences.**"

"**You don't understand. Blair, he…well, he—**"

They were interrupted by the sound of crunching leaves. From the woods, two shapes suddenly immerged. Clementine jumped, tensed to flee, when she realized that it was Peg and Blair. Peg's brown hair was tufty and sticking up in some spots, while his shirt was coated in scraps of leaves like he'd fallen over. Blair, on the other hand, was breathing fast like he'd just run some time, or been spooked by something that had caused him to flee.

"**B-Blair!**" Riley exclaimed, stunned and relieved at the same time. She looked quickly down to Clementine for a brief moment, then back up to the two men. "**You're back. What have you—**"

"**A station,**" Blair said vaguely, interrupting her. He was still panting and after he'd spoken he doubled over and put his hands on his knees in an attempt to catch his breath.

"**What?**" Clementine blurted. "**What about**—"

"**It's got supplies and everything,**" Peg said quickly. He flicked a scrap of leaf off his shoulder and beamed at Clementine. "**It's a little ways from the city, so maybe we could set up shop there for a bit. No walkers. It's pretty clear. Just out from these woods and down the road. Whaddya think?**"

Clementine was silent for a bit until, quite suddenly, she realized that Riley and Peg were both looking at her rather expectantly. _Why me? _She crossed her arms and, without a thought, gave a nod. If they were going to find Alvin it was good to at least stock up. And a gas-station wouldn't be overwhelmed with walkers, as far as she knew. It was a chance worth taking. "**Let's do it.**" She said.


	4. Ch4: A Familiar Face

_0/7/11/2014 Note: I was hoping to get this chapter up a bit earlier, but school stuff stopped me. Anyway, might be a bit of a gap between this one and the next one. Hopefully it should be worth the wait! I love reading reviews, so if you have the time I'd love to hear your feedback! ^_^_

The gas-station was nothing spectacular. Once the group had emerged from the thick of the woods, there was a road before them. And, across from it, there was the gas-station. It was a fairly small building with a grey paved lot before it for vehicles to park and re-fill on gas. Or, where they used to. The place had clearly not been used in years. The light blue paint on the outside of the station was chipping and peeling away. A window on the far right side had been smashed to pieces, leaving an empty hole. It was not clear whether it had been looted by survivors or, perhaps, there had been an attempted robbery even prior to the apocalypse.

On the outside, it certainly seemed empty. Riley and Blair had both gone ahead to scout it out while Clementine and Peg hung back.

The silence was uncomfortable.

"**So, Clem**." Peg said at last. They were both sitting on the somewhat damp grass, just opposite to the road and gas station. Though it was spring, there was still a somewhat cold chill to the hair that made Clementine wish she had more than her gray hoodie. Peg was no better off but, if he was cold, he did not show it. "**Mine if I call you Clem**?"

"**Yes**."

"**Oke doke, Clem**." Peg said with a grin. Did nothing deter this guy? He always seemed to be smiling. It was unsettling. "**Where'd you live before the apocalypse? I mean, seeing as you're stuck with us, I suppose we could get to know each other**."

Clementine averted her gaze from Peg for the moment to look down at the ground and, brushing her hand across the tops of the spikey grass blades, she offered the smallest of shrugs. "**…Georgia.**" She lifted her gaze to stare across the road at the gas station where Blair and Riley had disappeared. No sign of them yet. "**Your turn.**"

"**Okay.**" Peg looked thoughtfully up at the sky. Today was a fairly cloudless day, despite the air being crisp. It was early, however, and would most likely warm up throughout the day. After several moments, Peg spoke. "**Canada. My family came down here for vacation when all this happened,**" He made a swirling motion with his hand. When Clementine said nothing, however, Peg grinned and kept on: "**You don't talk much, do you? Nah, that's okay. I wasn't a big talker when I was a kid either.**"

Clementine uprooted several blades of grass and closed her hand, looking over at Peg with an almost disdainful expression.

"**Just tell me the little things,**" Peg suggested, paying no heed to her expression. "**Like…what's your favourite colour? Or…did you ever have a pet? Any siblings?**" Then, jabbing a finger towards her hat, he added: "**What's with the hat?**"

That was a sore spot, but Clementine figured he'd just taunt her about it later anyway if she resisted answering. She let the grass fall from her clenched hand and folded her arms across her chest, turning back to him. "**It was a gift.**"

"**Was it now?"** Once again, Peg flashed his brilliant white teeth at her in a cheeky grin. Then, before he could speak again, Blair's voice was heard over at the gas station. The two looked over to see two shapes emerging from the station and apparently heading in their direction. Peg got to his feet and brushed off his jeans with his hands. Once he had done that, he offered a hand down towards Clementine as well. "**Well, maybe we can update it if there's anything at the station. Looks a little worn-down, anyway.**" Then, at Clementine's expression of hardly disguised irritation, he added quickly: "**Or…not. It's no big deal. It, uh, it suits you.**"

Clementine rolled her eyes, though took his offered hand anyway. He gave a tug and hoisted her to her feet, and the pair turned to face Blair and Riley, who had just crossed the road and now paused a little ways from Clementine and Blair.

"**I see you two have been talking.**" The woman, Riley, observed with a mocking empathetic look at Clementine.

"**Just getting acquainted.**" Peg explained cheerfully.

"**Well, I hope that went well.**" Blair suddenly chimed in, sounding gruff and somewhat irritable. His tone almost dripped with sarcasm. He gestured back to the gas station. "**We checked out the sides. Seems pretty empty, but you never know. Keep an eye out. Don't need the kid getting bit.**"

"**Blair…**"Riley muttered, giving the man a look. Her brow furrowed slightly and she looked at him with narrowed blue eyes, but offered nothing else. Instead she gave a heaving sigh which made her shoulders rise and fall then apparently, gave up. "**Come on.**"

Age had not done well for the locks of the station for, with a simple shove, the entire door gave way. The group entered without much difficulty and, after a silent decision to split up, they began to make their way about the store.

It was small, so they were never far apart from each other at any point. Clementine found many things, though few were of much use: an expired candy bar, with…who-knows-what growing on it, a lighter that refused to spark a flame.

Just when Clementine was about to move to the counter and see what was behind there, she heard a jubilatory cry from Peg further down the store. "**Oh shit, twinkies! Jackpot!**"

His delight amused Clementine, and she gave a faint smile. Then, going to the counter, she put her hands on the surface and gave a jump, swinging her legs over the top. A jump such as this had been hard when she had first started out with AJ, as an eleven year old. She had been a whole lot shorter then and jumps like this, whether it be fences or rocks, had proven difficult. She had never thought back to how much she had grown since then…

A sound caught her attention just as she landed on the other side. It was not any of her companions, as Peg, Blair and Riley were too far to have made a noise so close. It was the noise of groaning. A noise that, by this time, was all too familiar to Clementine. A walker.

Clementine whirled around to face the walker despite her being unarmed. If she could fend it off and stop it from biting her, then the others may be able to finish it for her. But when she whirled around what she saw was indeed not a walker.

Clementine's jaw dropped, and her olive eyes widened in utter befuddlement. "**Kenny?**" Her voice broke slightly as she spoke. It was Kenny. He stood before her, like he had been moments before she'd killed him. The hat (which he gripped in his left hand), the green vest, the clothing, the eyepatch…it was him, down to every last detail.

Except for the bullethole in his head.

"**You're…dead.**" Clementine stuttered. She took a step back. Her entire frame was shaking. This could not be…it was impossible. She had seen him die. She had been the one who pulled the trigger.

_You slept in a barn, little lady. Lucky you don't have spiders in your hair._

"**Am I?**" She saw Kenny's mouth move as he spoke, but the voice was not his. It was something much more…alien. Much more strange. He took a slow and sickening step towards her, though Clementine backed against the wall of the station.

_Don't be sorry darling. This wasn't your fault, okay._

"**I killed you.**" Clementine whispered. "**Kenny, what's wrong with you?**"

_You know, when I first saw you back at that lodge, I thought I was dreaming._

"**Nothing.**" Once again, the alien voice spoke through Kenny's lips. He moved towards her again at a slow, sluggish pace. "**You trust me, right?**"

_Go on and wait outside. You don't need to see this._

"**Kenny, I—**"

Suddenly, Kenny's familiar face went slack. His eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped down like a stone. Behind him stood Peg, with a wild look in his blue eyes. Kenny had crumpled to the ground, with Peg's kitchen knife embedded in his skull.

Clementine's heart stopped. Before she knew what was happening, she had rushed forward and given Peg a wild shove with her hands. "**How could you!**"

Peg stared at her in confusion, as though she had grown a second head. He peered past her at the crumpled shape of Kenny and then back to her. He had stumbled back slightly from her shove, even though there had not been too much force behind it. "**Clementine, what are you talking about? It was going to bite you.**" His voice, though calm, betrayed his emotion and worry.

"**It? Bite me? That was my friend! He was…he was…**" Clementine's heart had picked up to an abnormal pace, fluttering painfully in her chest like a trapped bird. She pulled her hands down and glanced back at where Kenny lay.

But it was not Kenny anymore. It was another one of the dead walkers. It must have been here a long time, as it looked like an old cashier girl…her hair was falling apart in places and her skin was ashen gray and rotted. Her jaw was askew and to one side and, where the knife was embedded, the skin on her scalp had almost been completely scraped away. She was dead…or, at least, she had already _been _dead for a while now.

"**B-what? I could've sworn…**" Clementine swallowed. She looked with a horror at the walker, now impaled with Peg's kitchen knife. As she watched, Peg reached down and retrieved the knife. He put one hand on the handle and the other hand on the walker's shoulder but did not pull. First, he looked to Clementine.

"**Uh…this isn't anyone you know, right?**" Peg inquired. He still seemed worried, as though he'd figured Clementine had gone crazy.

Clementine bit her lip, which had begun to tremble as soon as she'd realized it was not Kenny. "**N-no. I thought it…no, it's not.**"

Peg gave a quick nod and then grabbed onto the blade again. He lifted his foot and pushed off of the walker's back, effectively removing the cleaver from its skull. There was a sickening noise of the metal sliding free from the dead girl's head and then she slid back down, dead. Peg lifted the knife, brushing it off on his pant leg. Once he'd assured it was clean, he turned to Clementine. "**Hey, Clem…you okay? You're looking a little green.**" He inspected the blade once more, and then stuck it back in his belt loop at the back of his pants while squinting at Clementine. "**You acted a little weird there.**"

"**I'm fine.**"

"**Are you sure? That was pretty harsh. Maybe you should sit down or—**"

Suddenly snapping, Clementine whirled on Peg and clenched her teeth. "**I'm fine!**" She yelled. Her voice carried across the station and, fueled by her sudden anger, Clementine did not seem to notice. She glared at Peg for the moment, her chest heaving and fists clenched. Then she seemed to notice her sudden outburst and, with a startled look down at the walker, lowered her hands. "**I-I'm fine. Let's go see what the others have found.**"

Peg stared at her but if he was going to say something he apparently thought against it. He merely followed as Clementine vaulted back over the counter and into the store again, heading for the exit where Blair and Riley had apparently disappeared. She did not check back to see if Peg was still behind her and, instead, pushed open the emergency exit door and stepped back out into the day.

The sun was bright at first, so she could not see quite clearly. What she did see, however, was the two vague shapes of Blair and Riley standing a little ways away on the pavement. Blair was squinting with a hand raised to his brow to block out the sun while peering out over the outstretched road to see ahead. He seemed to be muttering something to himself but Clementine could not quite catch his words.

"**Hey**," Clementine heard Riley say. The red-headed woman was standing a few feet away, adjusting her gray hoodie. She had what looked like a plastic shopping bag in the crook of her arm filled with what Clementine could only assume to be the resources that they had scavenged. Perhaps the bag contained the 'twinkies' Peg had been so excited about. "**You guys find anything interesting?**"

Clementine shook her head at once. The door clicked behind her and she assumed that Peg had also come outside. He did not speak to Clementine.

"**Ugh…shit.**" Came a disgruntled mutter from Blair. He had lowered his hand and, now, sputtered out a few more crude curses, some of which not even Clementine had heard about.

"**What is it now?**" Clementine mumbled.

"**Walkers.**" Blair growled. "**Looks like a herd of them. Could be…I don't know. Hundreds. They're coming this way for some reason…they couldn't possibly have seen us, though. Hm…**" And, a few more curses. Clementine's vision had adjusted by this time and she too could see the looming crowd just on the edge of the road, apparently coming closer to the group at a sluggish pace. It was a sight to make anyone scared.

"**Well…what do we do?**" Riley questioned. There was the sound of crinkling as she hoisted the plastic bag over her shoulder, squinting out at the horizon. "**We could go back to the woods…**"

"**No good.**" Blair mumbled. "**We're low on rations as it is, and that gas-station was more a burden than a help. That stuff won't last a day. Unless…**" And he grumbled something under his breath, which Clementine did not catch. Then, louder: "**The city.**"

"**Cities are dangerous,**" Clementine intercepted, folding her arms against a sudden frigid breeze.

"**Yeah, no shit, Sherlock.** **Would you rather face that herd? Or, in the woods, starvation?**" Blair shot back. He looked over at Clementine who merely returned the glare, but said nothing else. "**City it is, then. Peg?**"

The three looked back at the other man. Peg's blue gaze had lifted and he now stared at the trio with a somewhat baffled look. "**Eh? City? But didn't you say…**"

"**I know what I said.**" Blair chided. "**But it looks like our best shot. What do you say?**"

Peg's brow furrowed. "**I-I guess…**"

"**Good.**" Blair clasped his hands and rubbed them together. "**Now, I suggest we get moving, We've got a few minutes before those walkers are on us, and I doubt any of you want to be around for that. Let's get moving. Keep up, Clem.**"

Clementine did not respond to his sudden using of her actual name, and not calling her 'kiddo' or 'kid'. Instead, she gave a determined nod. The city…despite her initial fear of it, perhaps it was for the best. There, there would be resources. Food, water. Maybe even a proper place to sleep for the night.

But, more than anything, there was one thing Clementine needed to find in the city.

Alvin.


End file.
